Mary, Kate L.: Collision

When eighteen-year-old Kara Jones gets into a car accident on the way home from college, she’s left with more than a few bruised ribs, a busted cell phone, and a totaled car. After a slip-up at the hospital, she’s shaken to discover that her family isn’t all it seems. And now her mother’s strange behavior and willingness to do anything to protect her secrets—including pulling Kara out of school—have Kara floundering in the dark.

Enter Derek Miller, a former classmate who’s dealing with family issues of his own. His nerdy charm is too much for Kara to resist, and she’s even more amazed when he agrees to help her dig into her mother’s past. Together they investigate her mother’s old friends and boyfriends, hoping to discover who Kara really is. Instead, they find disturbing connections to the dark history of Kent State University, and an ever expanding maze of mystery surrounding Kara’s birth.

As Kara and Derek chase secrets, she realizes he’s the only person she can trust. But as they get closer to the truth, the disturbing answers reveal a web of evil far darker and further reaching then they’d imagined, leaving Kara to wish she’d never asked the questions in the first place, and to wonder if some secrets are better left untold…

Kate L. Mary is a stay-at-home mother of four and an Air Force wife. She spent most of her life in a small town just north of Dayton, Ohio where she and her husband met at the age of twelve. Since their marriage in 2002, they have lived in Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, and California.

Kate’s love of books and writing has helped her survive countless husbandless nights. She enjoys any post-apocalyptic story – especially if zombies are involved – as long as there is a romantic twist to give the story hope. Kate prefers nerdy, non-traditional heroes who can make you laugh to hunky pieces of man-meat, and her love of wine and chocolate is legendary among her friends and family. She currently resides in Oklahoma with her husband and children.

I’ve been married for 12 years.

I met my husband in my church youth group when we were 12 years old, but we didn’t start dating until nine years later.

I’m a stay-at-home mom of four kids, two boys and two girls.

My boys are Carter and Chase, and the names were inspired by doctors from television shows we liked at the time. Carter from ER and Chase from House. Girls are Christa and Corinne, and those names came from people we knew.

I can probably quote most episodes of Friends by heart, and my husband and I are a lot like Chandler and Monica. I’m an obsessive-compulsive neat freak, and he can never be serious. Plus, we were friends for years before we started dating.

My husband is a C-17 pilot in the Air Force.

Since we’ve been married, we’ve lived in 6 states (Ohio, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, California and Oklahoma) and moved 7 times.

My all-time favorite move is Aliens. I love it so much that sometimes I just put it on for background noise when I write.

I love The Walking Dead. LOVE IT. I even have some of the graphic novels and a few Daryl Dixon shirts. When it’s on things get serious in my house. We are not allowed to talk during the show and I do not answer texts, emails or calls.

I’m a huge nerd and I love that about myself.

When I was in high school I read classic novels almost exclusively. Jane Austen’s books are some of my favorites, but I also love Gone with the Wind.

I set my stories in cities I’ve actually lived in or visited, and love having my characters visit real places. Collision is set in the Dayton, Ohio area, where I grew up, and my characters go to a pizza place that is a popular Dayton chain. (And the pizza is amazing.)

I’m a wino. Okay, not really a wino, but I love red wine.

And chocolate…

And coffee.

I think every book should have a little bit of romance in it, but I have a hard time reading a romance novel. I always want more plot than that, and I’m particularly into dystopian or post-apocalyptic stories.

My favorite city is Charleston, SC. We were stationed there for almost four years and I had the best friends imaginable.

I wrote a zombie series with an awesome female main character that will be available from Etopia Press this year!

I have a huge girl crush on Jennifer Lawrence. I’m pretty sure I’d leave my husband for her if she asked…

My husband is my best friend and I have more fun with him than I’ve ever had with another person.